Giving public thanks for favors granted by God through the intercession of Saint Jude is a non-denominational, well established practice.

Very little is known about Saint Jude, also known as Thaddeus, or where he ministered. Because his name "Judas" is the same as the other "Judas", the Iscariot who betrayed Jesus, Saint Jude is often labeled the "forgotten apostle" and is invoked in prayer as the special patron of those who feel abandoned or forgotten, the patron of "hopeless cases".

Jude Thaddeus was born in the remote village of Paneas. His father was Cleophas (also known as Alpheus) and his mother, Mary of Cleophas, was an older sister or other close relative of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jude and his older brother James, who also became a saint, (later known as James the Just, or James the Less), were first cousins of Christ and apparently the two closest blood relatives to later become His Apostles.

"Jude Thaddeus" was not the traitor "Jude Iscariot". When St. Matthew and St. Mark wrote their Gospels they tried to prevent a mix-up between these two by listing them apart from each other. They identified St. Jude Thaddeus often only by the name "Thaddeus".

Jude and his wife Mary had at least one child, and he worked as a tenant farmer.

He came to Jerusalem to worship in the days of John the Baptist and, having heard his preaching, he was baptized. Later having been in the presence of Christ, hearing His teaching, and seeing His works, he followed Him and became a disciple. Jesus chose him as the tenth Apostle according to the writings of Matthew and Mark. {mospagebreak}

Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in  the year 62, and assisted at the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

He is an author of an epistle (letter) to the Churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, directed against the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics.

Little else is known of his life. Legend claims that he visited Beirut and Edessa. And was possibly martyred in Armenia, (which was then subject to Persia) with St. Simon.

Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that "the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them". St. Jude is often labeled the "forgotten apostle" and is invoked in prayer as the special patron of those who feel abandoned or forgotten, the patron of "hopeless cases".

His feast day is October 28th.